The short version
The simplest approach is on foot, down the Royal Mile. The second-best is Lothian Buses service 35, which stops on the Canongate beside the Scottish Parliament. The Parliament stands on Horse Wynd, opposite the palace, and calls itself a 15-minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley, the main railway station.
For exact times on the day, use the Lothian journey planner or the timetables page. Once you arrive, our visiting guide covers hours and entrances, and tickets and tours explains how to book.
Walking down the Royal Mile
The Royal Mile runs east from Edinburgh Castle in five sections: Castlehill, Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand. It is almost exactly one mile long and falls from about 109 metres at the castle to about 42 metres at the palace. That is an average gradient of roughly 4 per cent. Going down is gentle. Coming back up is a steady pull.
Allow far longer than the walking time if you start at the castle end. The street is lined with shops, narrow lanes called closes, and sights worth a stop. Our Royal Mile guide lists them in order.
By Lothian bus
Service 35 runs between Heriot-Watt University and Ocean Terminal in Leith. Lothian’s own pages tell visitors to get off at the stop called Scottish Parliament on the Canongate and walk towards Holyrood. In the timetable we checked (issued in 2025), Holyrood is a timing point on the route, between Forrest Road and Easter Road (foot).
That timetable showed buses about every 15 minutes on weekday daytimes, every 20 minutes on Saturdays and every 30 minutes on Sundays. Lothian’s September 2026 service change lists only minor timetable changes for service 35, but check the current timetable before you plan around a specific bus.
Three other points:
- Leith to Holyrood. Service 35 gives Leith a direct link to the palace. The 2025 timetable allowed roughly 20 to 25 minutes from Ocean Terminal to the Holyrood stop in the daytime.
- Night bus. The N35 night service keeps using the Canongate on Ocean Terminal-bound journeys. From 13 September 2026, its Heriot-Watt-bound journeys run via London Road, Leith Street and North Bridge instead.
- Holyrood Park. For the hill rather than the palace, Lothian points walkers to the Royal Commonwealth Pool stop, served by services 2, 14, 30 and 33. See our Arthur’s Seat guide.
Other Lothian services run along South Bridge and give access to the Royal Mile, and open-top sightseeing buses also stop near the Scottish Parliament. Our Edinburgh tours page covers guided options.
Fares (checked October 2026): an adult single is £2.40 and an adult City DAY ticket is £6.00. Contactless tap-on payment caps at £5.70 a day. If you pay cash, bring exact money, because drivers cannot give change.
From Edinburgh Waverley station
Walk. Use the Market Street exit, which is on the Old Town side of the station and has lifts and steps, then climb to the Royal Mile and head downhill through the Canongate. The Parliament puts the whole trip at about 15 minutes.
If you have luggage or limited mobility, taxi ranks are on Waverley Bridge and East Market Street. The East Market Street rank is 100 metres from the Market Street entrance. Network Rail’s station guide notes that not every taxi firm has wheelchair-accessible cars, so phone ahead if you need one.
From Edinburgh Airport
You have three sensible options.
| Option | Where it drops you | Time | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Trams | St Andrew Square, about 250 m from Waverley | About 30 to 35 minutes to the city centre | £7.50 booked in advance, usually £7.90 |
| Airlink 100 bus | Waverley Bridge | About 30 minutes | £6.00 single, £8.50 open return |
| Taxi | Your address | About 20 minutes by road | Set by the council |
Tram. The stop is directly outside the main terminal. The airport gives about 30 minutes to the city centre and the tram operator says under 35. Trams run every 7 minutes from 6:30am to 7pm, and every 10 minutes early and late. The first tram leaves the airport at 06:30 and the last at 22:52, so for a later landing use the Airlink or a taxi. Buy your ticket before boarding, from the stop machines, the app or the website. From St Andrew Square, walk to Waverley and follow the directions above.
Airlink 100. This express bus runs 24 hours a day. From the airport it leaves stop A, next to the plaza, at least every 10 minutes in the daytime and every 15 to 20 minutes overnight. A child single (ages 5 to 15) is £3.00. Standard Lothian DAY and LATE tickets are not valid on Airlink, but the £14.00 adult Network ticket is.
Taxis
The City of Edinburgh Council sets taxi fares for licensed city taxis, and the latest table took effect on 25 July 2026. The airport taxi rank is in the East Terminus, following the signs from the plaza. The airport says its rank is run by Capital Cars, and you can book with them online or use the rank. For journeys outside the council area, you are quoted a fare instead.
Parking, and why not to drive
Driving to the palace is the hardest option. The Old Town is listed at £8.00 an hour for council pay and display (prices from April 2025), from 8:30am to 6:30pm Monday to Saturday and 12:30pm to 6:30pm on Sunday. The Scottish Parliament names St John’s Hill and the car parks beside Waverley as its nearest options.
Blue badge holders may be able to use a small number of council bays on Horse Wynd. The Parliament warns there is no guarantee of a space.
Central Edinburgh also has a Low Emission Zone, which runs 24 hours a day, every day. Cameras read number plates, and fines for non-compliant cars started on 1 June 2024. A first penalty for a car is £60, halved if paid within 14 days. The boundary roads are outside the zone, so check the council’s boundary page before you drive in.
If you are staying in the city, leave the car at your accommodation. Our where to stay guide compares areas by how easily you can reach the palace without one.
